Haiti

Haiti is the definitive account of the ruling Duvalier family and its legacy. In 1803, the enslaved people of Haiti vanquished their French masters after a bloody war which left thousands dead. In 1986, Haitians celebrated another victory, as Baby Doc Duvalier fled to France, ending three decades of brutal dictatorship. The Duvalier regime slaughtered at least 50,000 people, many in the infamous Fort Dimanche. Duvalierism drove a million people into exile, cowed the six million that remained and was responsible for the torture of hundreds of thousands. Their oppression shaped modern Haiti as Elizabeth Abbott demonstrates as she traces the repercussions of their actions to the present day, including the earthquake which moved the world.